Flexible bag packet



March 24, 1954 .1. R. ARNOLD ETAL 3,126,094

FLEXIBLE BAG PACKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 3, 1960 Julian fil'nold m 0 m 1,] W e 1.. M A. a m

FLEXIBLE BAG PACKET Filed Aug. 3. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/(LZ INVENTOR JULIAN RARNOLD GEORGE W. TURNER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,126,094 FLEXIRLE BAG PACKET Julian R. Arnold and George W. Turner, Miami, Fla, assignors to Arnold Cellophane Corporation, Miami, Fla, a corporation of Florida Filed Aug. 3, 196%, Ser. No. 47,253 1 Claim. (Cl. 296-57) The present invention relates to equipment for rapidly packaging products, such as food products, either at the location where same are retailed, or at the point where products are made. In particular, the invention is concerned with the rapid filling of thin transparent plastic bags which are now commonly used to package products in an attractive manner, such as bags made of polyethylene, cellophane and the like.

In accomplishing the purposes of the invention, we have devised equipment for eificiently retaining a plurality of such bags, in a packet, the packet of bags being completed by a hood member of cardboard or the like, which is adapted to fit under clamping means on a platform, whereby the packet is rigidly retained while the bags are being successively filled. In association with the above mentioned features, we provide bags which are open at one end, and which are further provided with extending panels used in securing the bags in packet, completed by the retaining hood, the bags being scored in wardly of the edge of the hood in order that each bag may be torn from the packet, after it has been filled, all in the manner hereinafter described.

An additional purpose of the invention is to provide means in association with the packet of bags to prevent the corners of the bags from interfering with their filling operation.

In the drawings which are illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is perspective view of the surface of a table provided with clamping members and an air jet, the packet of bags being shown secured on the table, with the top bag inflated by a suitable air jet. This view shows the top bag filled with products, such as bakery food products, prior to tearing the filled bag from the packet.

FIGURE 2 is a plan or top view of one of the bags.

FIGURE 3 is a plan or top view of a packet of the bags, showing the hood member stapled thereto.

FIGURE 4 is an end view of a packet of the bags, showing the manner in which the hood member embraces the extending panels of the bags of the packet.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of an assembled packet, showing the back face of the hood member, and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one of the bags.

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of a modified packet of bags showing a securing means placed in the vicinity of the corners, of the packet as well as a hood member, and

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 utilizing the modified form of bag and illustrating how the corner areas are retained in place during the packaging operation.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the bag B is of a well known type, made of thin transparent plastic material, such as polyethylene or cellophane, the material being characterized by a limpness, or lack of stiifness and rigidity, which makes it somewhat of a problem to handle the bag, when filling same. Each bag comprises a front sheet It and a rear sheet 12, and is closed at one end 14 and along its side edges 16, but being open at the opposite end. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, the front sheet or wall terminating in an edge 18 may be pulled away from the rear sheet 12, to facilitate inserting the contents into the bag. The rear sheet is provided with an extending panel member 243, which projects beyond the open edge 18 of the front sheet or wall, this panel serving as a means whereby all of the bags of a packet, may be secured together as a unit. As hereinafter described, packets of such bags are supplied by the manufacturer thereof, to the retailer of the product, or the maker of the product to be sold in the bags. Of course, as is customary, the plastic bags would normally contain printing and decorating matter, for designating the contents and for advertising purposes. In order to secure a number of said bags in a packet, a hood member is provided, same being generally designated by the letter H, and it is made of relatively stiff cardboard or the like. The hood has an end face 22 which extends across the end edges 24 of the extending panels 20 of the bag, when same are stacked o-ne upon another, a relatively short front face 26 and a rear face 28, the front and rear faces extending toward the closed ends of the bags, and being relatively short in length.

A group of bags, for instance, approximately in number, are placed one upon another, their end panels 20 are disposed within the cardboard hood and are there secured by metal staples 30' which are driven through the front face 26 of the hood, through the stacked panels 20, and then through the rear face 28 of the hood, where the ends of the staples are suitably bent in the well known manner to rigidly secure the hood over the stacked panels 20, thereby providing a unitary packet of the bags which can be conveniently shipped and handled. Approximately in line with the open end 18 of each bag, there is a scored or tear line 32 which is formed across the rear sheet or wall of the bag, defining the inner edge of the extending panel 2%. By reason of this weakened line, a bag may be readily torn from the packet.

FIGURE 1 shows equipment in which a packet is positioned and clamped, in order to fill same with products, such as bakery products. Mounted on the surface 34, of any suitable support or table, are a pair of clamping members 36, these members having a clamping plate 38 which is spaced from the surface of the table, at such a distance that it may firmly clamp a packet of the bags, engaging the front face 26 of the hood H. The clamps are shown pivotally mounted on the table, being arranged to turn on a hinge pintle 49 secured to a bracket attached to the surface of the table, there being relatively strong spring members 42, mounted on the hinge in a conventional way, which members tend to constantly urge the clamping plate 38 downwardly into firm engagement with the packet of bags when same are inserted under the clamping members.

In order to provide for the convenient filling of successive bags in the packet, the table is equipped with an air jet 44- which is directed toward the open ends of the bag, just above the bracket members. Compressed air or the like is supplied through a conduit 46, the jet and conduit being supported on a bracket 48 attached to the table 34. Any suitable valve means (not shown) may be provided for either manually or automatically opening or closing the valve which controls the blast of air delivered from the jet 44.

From the above description, it will be apparent that a relatively great number of the thin transparent bags may be secured into a unitary packet by the hood H which is stapled to the stacked extending ends 20 of the bags. The packets may be suitably boxed and conveniently delivered in the assembled form, to the point where they are to be filled, either where the product is being made, or where it is being sold. At the filling point, a packet is positioned on the table with its hood extending under and rigidly held by the clamps 36. When the packet is so held, the air blast 44 may be turned on, and the nozzle is directed in such manner that the air enters the open end of the bag beneath the edge 18 of the front sheet thereof, and with the top bag thus opened up, the products may be readily inserted as shown in FIGURE 1. Thereafter, the filled bag may be removed from the packet, by simply tearing it E, along the scored or tear line 32, leaving the extending panel 20 retained within the hood H and rigidly held by the clamps 36. When one bag has been filled and removed, the next bag immediately below same is exposed for filling, and when the air jet 44 is again turned on, the next bag will be opened up and may be similarly filled and removed.

FIGURES 7 and 8 show a modified embodiment of the packet designed to facilitate the insertion into the bags of relatively large items or products. We have found it to be desirable to permit the corner areas of the extending panels to bend or how upwardly, as at 50, in FIGURE 8, at the time the articles are being inserted. This bending action allows the front sheet 10 to be moved outwardly to a greater extent than would be the case, if the hood extended over the entire length of the panels.

In order to permit the bending movement referred to, the hood H is made relatively short, as shown in FIG- URE 7, leaving rather extensive exposed areas 52 and 54 of the extending panels, beyond the ends of the hood H. When the air jet is operated to open the bag, these end areas may bend upwardly as indicated at 50, in FIGURE 8, to facilitate the insertion of larger articles. In order to maintain this permissible bending Within desired limits, and to prevent the remaining panel ends of a packet from interfering with flow of air into the bag being filled, additional staples 56 and 58 are passed through the extending panels, outwardly of the ends of hood H, but spaced a distance inwardly from the outer edges of the end panels.

We claim:

Article retaining packet comprising a plurality of thin, flexible, plastic bags each bag being closed at one end and open at the other and having an upper wall and a lower wall extending past the upper wall of the bag to define a panel, said upper and lower walls being joined to one another along their opposed sides and said bags being stacked in coextensive relationship, a hood mounted about said bag panels over the central portion of said panels to provide a lateral extension of said bags beyond the opposite sides of said hood, metal staples joining the opposite legs of said hood to rigidly secure the panels of said bags and other metal staples joined to said lateral extensions, whereby said la'teral extensions are flexible but said hood retains the central portion of said bag panels substantially rigid, score-lines across the bottom walls of said bags adjacent the openings therein whereby the lateral extensions of said panels may flex upwardly when each bag is being filled, thereby augmenting the areas of the opening of each bag during filling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,101,107 T-schopik June 23, 1914 1,222,450 Nuckolls Apr. 10, 1917 1,354,810 Erickson Oct. 5, 1920 1,790,735 Wagner Feb. 3, 1931 2,008,896 Brown July 23, 1935 2,045,678 Shafer June 30, 1936 2,962,157 Meister NOV. 29, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 384,779 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1932 

